Which 2008 earthquake devastated Sichuan Province and killed nearly 70,000 people?

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake devastated southwestern China on 12 May 2008 and killed nearly 70,000 people.

Also called the Wenchuan earthquake, it had a magnitude of 7.9 or 8.0 depending on the reporting scale and measurement convention. The rupture occurred on faults associated with the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, where crustal deformation results from the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates.

The disaster caused enormous damage across Sichuan Province, including collapsed schools, homes, roads, bridges, and hospitals. Landslides blocked rivers and buried settlements, while aftershocks prolonged the emergency. Official totals recorded more than 69,000 deaths, with many thousands missing or injured.

The earthquake is sometimes called the Wenchuan earthquake after the county near its epicentre. “Sichuan earthquake” refers to the broader disaster and is the most widely used English name.